Dr. Jonas E. Salk

Dr. Salk is the kind of person who would never give up. For example when he wouldn’t get a vaccine right he would just keep working on it until he got it right. Jonas Edward Salk was born on October 28, 1914 to immigrant parents who were Russian Jews. Although his first words were “Dirt, dirt” he didn’t start out wanting to study germs. He started out wanting to become a lawyer. His mother didn’t think he would be a good lawyer because he never won an argument with her. So then he decided to study medicine. While attending a medical school in New York he was offered a chance to study the influenza disease. Salk gladly accepted. He was excited to learn if this virus can be deprived of the ability to affect. Salk succeeded!

The reason Salk is famous is because he created the cure for the tragic disease polio. Polio is a disease that children get in the summertime. In 1894 132 children got this disease in Vermont. Eighteen died the rest were cured but paralyzed. By 1915 this disease infected thousands of people. But, it did not infect certain kind of people; it infected white, black, rich, and poor. When it infected a child that child would be taken away by the police so other people will not also get polio. But, that will all change and people will not dread summertime any longer.

In 1947 Salk became research professor of bacteriology and director of the Virus Research Laboratory at the University of Pittsburgh School of Medicine.

Salk decided to test out the vaccine on uninfected people. He tried the vaccine on himself his wife and his children. None of them got sick but, more importantly their antibodies were raised. After then he started giving them out to more people. Salk became a hero. The last project he worked on was the cure to aids but, unfortunately he died in 1995 from heart failure.

Dr. Salk is my hero because he inspired me to never give up, just keep picking and picking at it until I got it right. But, he is not only my hero, he is a hero to the world and the people living in it. Thanks to him this disease was erased from the face of the earth.